Reviews

Music Diary Reviews: Welcome to the New Disco Era!

Welcome to another edition of Music Diary Reviews! This time around I look at a pretty broad mix of pop, rock dance & rap music. The title is a bit provocative, but recalling my recent article looking at the state of rock music relative to pop in 2010, it is pretty clear that dance-centric techno-pop ruled the airwaves last year. Listening to stuff like Ke$ha and the Black Eyed Peas really does hearken me back to the disco era of the late 70’s. I wonder if this music will suffer the same backlash as the music of that era? I…

Game Diary, Reviews

Over the Rainbow for iPhone/Touch Review

When I play games on iOS devices, I usually prefer puzzle style games. I noticed Over The Rainbow was on sale for free so I figured it could not hurt to download and give it a try. Despite the cute, childish theme and design, it was quite fun for an old football coach. As you will see, the game is super easy to play, but becomes challenging and addictive as you work through the levels. Let’s take a look! Over The Rainbow puts the player as a cute water droplet that is dropped from a rain cloud. The goal is…

Events, Reviews

CES Snippets: Mogo Talk XD iPhone 4 Case and BlueTooth Headset in One – Review

Sometimes you have to see a product up close to actually appreciate it. That was the case for me with regard to the MoGo Talk XD. Judie had mentioned this headset and case in on to me a few months ago and I scoffed at it. “After all,” I thought, “who needs a case that actually HOLDS the headset in it?” The idea struck me as an example of “just because you CAN do it doesn’t mean you SHOULD do it.” Then I saw the Mogo Talk XD at CES and ate my words. The idea of a case and…

Game Diary, Reviews

Michael Jackson The Experience Nintendo Wii Game Review

This amazing dancing game celebrates Michael Jackson’s amazingly inventive moves while players get some entertaining exercise.

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

2011 Scion xB: Which Way Funkytown?

When Toyota first launched its Scion division of vehicles aimed at younger, hipper consumers the buying public threw them for a loop. The funky new box on wheels (dubbed “xB”) was actually being snatched up by boomers hand over fist.

Game Diary, Reviews

PC Game Review: Majesty 2: Kingmaker

Last week when I reviewed Majesty 2 I gave it a strong recommendation and pretty much fawned all over it. I was quite fond of the game when it was released in late 2009, but something happened since then. In order to play the Kingmaker expansion I had reinstalled Majesty 2 on my new laptop and needed to plow through the original again – and I found myself enjoying it more than ever! The mix of the joyfully light-hearted feel and intense challenge was very rewarding, and I couldn’t wait to see what Kingmaker had to offer. The Hype: What…

Game Diary, Reviews

PC Game Review: Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim

While I had heard of the original Majesty, I never played it back in 2001 when it was released and never caught up with it. So while fans of the game might have different thoughts based on comparisons with the original, I got to be amazed for the first time at this wonderful combination of city builder, RTS and RPG. Since then, there have been two expansions I have played and enjoyed and a third about to release as I write this. After those other expansions were released I went back through the whole game once more. And I have…

Gear Bits, Reviews

iMainGo Portable Speaker Systems More Than Just Portable

Portable Sound Labsis the company behind iMainGo, a portable external speaker kit for your portable device such as an iPhone or touch. They sent me a test unit quite some time ago ,and somehow it made its way into the back of the closet. Since that time they have released an updated iMainGo 2 and now the iMainGo X for more lifestyle integration. So, why my oversight? To be honest, I do not lead that portable of a lifestyle. Mine is more mobile – actually mostly mobile. When I am not test-driving new cars I am driving a fleet vehicle…

Game Diary, Reviews

Discovery Channel Cannon Challenge for iPhone/Touch Review

My good friend and combat hero, Travis and I were watching the Military Channel yesterday when we saw a commercial for a new version of the Cannon Challenge game. Before purchasing, we decided to download and play the older, free version of the game. Travis is a full iPhone and soon to be Mac convert so I like to send plenty of ideas for apps and games. Discovery Channel Cannon Challenge is the perfect game considering we were watching similar subject matter. Let’s take a quick look. Cannon Challenge allows players to take control of their very own NLOS cannon. …

Game Diary, Reviews

Wii Game Review: Hasbro Family Game Night 3

Over Thanksgiving my wife’s sister and her family visited, with kids in their early 20’s, nearly a decade older than ours. Yet when the eight of us sat around the kitchen table playing Apples to Apples, all differences disappeared and we had an absolute blast. So when we went to visit them for Christmas, I brought along the Wii version of Hasbro Family Game Night 3 to see if we could have a similar night of fun. The Hype: Hasbro Family Game Night 3 is a classic board game compilation for Wii that allows players both new and an experienced…

Music Diary, Reviews

Music Diary Reviews: All New Stuff Only!

Recently I have been mixing in reissues with new releases in these review articles … but this time around there is just way too much new stuff to step back in time. But don’t worry, I’ll be doing a separate look at some re-releases … and a separate look at some late 2010 pop & rock stuff … and also a focus article on a couple of truly superlative recent releases! Another thing – in the past I have tended to simply list the reviews randomly … but no more. You can be assured that if a CD is first…

Game Diary, Reviews

Nintendo DS Game Review: Call of Duty Black Ops

Alongside the juggernaut console versions of Call of Duty Black Ops that have led the sales charts since release comes a version for the Nintendo DS. This one didn’t get the attention of its console brethren, which is too bad because it is a better game. The Hype: – Seventh installment of the Call of Duty series, based on the live fire conflicts of the Cold War era – Diverse variety of play settings ranging from urban air and ground combat in SE Asia, to snow combat in Soviet region and jungle combat – Blending of traditional COD, and new…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

2011 Chrysler Town & Country: Long Live the King

The king is dead … long live the king! Chrysler announced last week that its “luxury” minivan, the Town & Country, has once again taken the top spot in segment sales leadership and this week came the “better-late-than-never” launch of an all-new version at the North American International Auto Show. OK, it still looks like a minivan and Chrysler has chosen to stay away from drastic styling upgrades such as brought on by imported competition this year. Toyota, Honda and Nissan all radically redesigned their minivans recently. For Chrysler it appears about refining what has brought them back to the…

Reviews, Travel

VinniBag Review

I am not a wine connoisseur at all. However, back in the day I was into drinking good beers. I remember one trip where I visited a Rock Bottom Brewery restaurant where I had some of the best beer I have ever tasted. They had beer that I could have taken home in bottles, but because I flew into Denver and was flying out the next day, I could not take any home with me. If I had the VinniBag it would have been a piece of cake! VinniBag is a wine bottle-shaped bag that has a few interesting features. First, it…

Game Diary, Reviews

PSP Game Review: CLADUN: This is an RPG

I am just going to warn you in advance … some of the text of this review will make you wonder if I messed up at the end with my positive recommendation. No – the rating is correct: CLADUN: This is an RPG is a game with plenty of flaws … but one that offers a great overall experience in spite of those flaws, and is very much worth buying. The Hype: Cladun is a retro style dungeon crawler game. Players can create their own main character from scratch using a graphics editor and the dungeons that you will be…

Reviews

MeeGo 1.1 Review

It’s been a little while since Intel and Nokia came together to merge Moblin and Maemo together to create the MeeGo project. Moblin started out as a project by Intel and the Linux Foundation to produce a Linux-based OS, interface and application stack for mobile internet devices. In February of 2009, they merged with the Maemo project that was used by Nokia in the Nseries tablets like the N770, N800, N810 and the N900 smartphone. Intel was nice enough to send me a Lenovo S10-3t convertible netbook with MeeGo preloaded so I could get a look at the state of MeeGo in version 1.1….

Reviews

HTC EVO 4G Battery Review: Monaco Extended High Capacity 3500mAh

When I first got my EVO 4G I was thrilled. I’ve become a big fan of the Android OS and have always held a special place in my heart for any hardware HTC produces. What immediately did not thrill me though was the EVO’s battery. In simplest terms, it sucked! I thought the battery on the iPhone 3Gs was bad, well the EVO’s is worse. After conditioning the battery and making some modifications to my phone’s settings I was able to greatly increase the amount of power I’m getting off each charge but on heavy usage days I’m unable to…

Reviews

Review: The Wikireader

A while back the OpenMoko project created the goal of bringing out a Linux based smartphone called the Freerunner. Then Google brought out what became the most successful Linux based operating system of all time, Android. Well, needless to say, the writing was on the wall. The clunky OpenMoko OS, with the behind the times hardware, was enough to make OpenMoko irrelevant in the smartphone arena. Well, it seemed to be such a waste to throw out the work they did on the OS, so the next choice was to bring out another device. This time, they didn’t even try…

Reviews

Review: GlowCrazy Glow-In-The-Dark Fun

Despite being a gear geek, I still want my kids to have activities for inside that are not on a television or video game system. In their life, most of what they know come either of those ways. We do play with Lego toys, slot car tracks and board games, but those get old to the boys. What we need is something unique that seems magic. Enter GlowCrazy which happens to be both unique and does seem like magic. The good folks at GlowCrazy sent me and my boys a sample for review. My boys play hard and are self…

Reviews

Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark Review

Last night for Sarah’s birthday we went to see “Spider-Man: The Musical”. It was supposed to have officially debuted by now, but due to some unfortunate accidents they’ve pushed back the official debut, so what we saw was still the preview. However, it was still a fantastic experience, both for Sarah (as a theater geek) and me (the comic book geek)!

Reviews

iPad App Review: Korg iMS-20

I recently reviewed Korg DS-10 Plus, the analog synthesizer for the Nintendo DS that emulated a Korg MS-10 analog synthesizer. Now Korg is back – this time with the iMS-20, a full translation of the classic Korg MS-20 for the iPad. The Hype: KORG iMS-20: Transform your iPad into a complete analog synth studio! Product Highlights: – A complete recreation of the legendary Korg MS-20 analog synth – Built-in 16-step analog sequencer to control the sound – Music production studio with the MS-20 mono synth, a six-part drum machine, and a mixer – Kaoss Pad function allows intuitive performance and…

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